I knew I could count on the Lagniappe to produce a comprehensive article about the recent referendum election in Fairhope. Well done.
Fairhope voters reject council-manager form of government – Lagniappe Mobile
Fairhope voters reject council-manager form of government – Lagniappe Mobile
You can’t say it wasn’t a valiant effort. After more than 800 people signed a petition in less than two weeks — at least 779 signatures were certified — a special-interest group in Fairhope forced an election for a new form of government, but it was ultimately defeated Nov. 6. The group, Fresh Start Fairhope, …
Please Read: lagniappemobile.com/fairhope-voters-reject-council-manager-form-of-government/
I read the article while I was in Puerto Rico and wondered how many people in Fairhope actually have any understanding of what motivated the no vote. The Ripp Report posted it’s thoughts after the election:
YOU WIN SOME YOU LOSE SOME
YOU WIN SOME YOU LOSE SOME | THE RIPP REPORT / BALDWIN COUNTY LEGAL EAGLE
AND SOME SHOULD NEVER BEEN SCHEDULED The proposed change of government for Fairhope started out with good intentions and then went completely off the rails. SKUNKED What started out to be a “Fresh…
Please Read: rippreport.com/2018/11/07/you-win-some-you-lose-some/
The Lagniappe article sure clears up some of the suspected backroom motives of some. First off Forever Fairhope was backed by Can’t loyalist who invested in a political PAC. These are some of the same individuals who support Catalyst.
It also appears, true to Catalyst form, that they recruited two men to be their front men to carry their banner. Forever Fairhope banner carriers were Mr .Gary Thorson and Bill Pennington. They have only been residents of Fairhope for five years and seven years. Thorson stated “ Both admitted prior to the referendum they haven’t been very involved in Fairhope politics.” Pennington went even further in admitting “ that before the petition was circulated”, he “had no idea there were problems in the city government.”
So these two men hook up with Can’t and Catalyst backers to become involved in something that they knew little about! The fact that they say that they had no knowledge of problems within the Fairhope Catalyst City Council, speaks volumes. How in the hell could you have lived in Fairhope for the last 5 to 7 years and not know of any problems with the city government? Better yet how could you become involved supporting a particular view and be so ignorant of your local government?
I suspect you were recruited to cover for the good ole boys and Catalyst, who like to stay in the shadows. Now I could be entirely wrong, but I don’t think so. To be fair both gentleman may have just woke up one morning and became civic minded and decide to do this on their own. But one must ask themselves how did they become involved with Catalyst backers?
Both men admit their ignorance of Fairhope City Government so let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and see what their next venture is. Will it be running for city council in 2020, backed by the same PAC and Catalyst? Or will they spend a little time to research just how corrupt Fairhope has been and lift that banner again, against corruption.
May I suggest Mr Thorson and Mr Pennington read the back issues of The Ripp Report. They can even contact me and I would be happy to meet with them to give them details of the corruption that has been happening for the last 15 years in Fairhope. They will need to bring several legal pads.
Knowing or unwittingly your efforts succeeded in holding Fairhope in the grasp of Catalyst.
If you were duped then you will be active in combating corruption, if you were willing partners of Catalyst then you will remain silent. Time will tell and we will be paying attention so I leave you with a little nugget of corruption, that I am sure you had no idea about.
CATALYST, THE THREE B’s, AND CHUCKEE CHEEZE
CATALYST, THE THREE B’s, AND CHUCKEE CHEEZE | THE RIPP REPORT / BALDWIN COUNTY LEGAL EAGLE
Catalyst is a political cancer found in Baldwin County. It hand picks political candidates. Catalyst was formally Stacy Elliott and Haygood, the birth of the cancer, that morphed into Catalyst when Mr.
Please Read: rippreport.com/2018/03/07/catalyst-the-three-bs-and-chuckee-cheeze/
Ignorance is bliss.
Seventy percent voted for Roy Moore…
Straight ticket losing.
I too read where the two Catalyst flunkies haven’t been in town for more than seven years. I myself am fifth generation Baldwin County. You see, Catalyst is IMPORTING these flunkies. They are new to the area. I wish they would go back and finish messing up the place from which they came.
Oh wait! They HAVE messed up their area which is why they are coming here to trash this area, make a few bucks, and move on. I wish somehow we could stop this cancer with Catalyst.
From Lagniappe article: “City Clerk Lisa Hanks said… the Probate Court could only provide one voting machine for each of seven polling places. Hanks said the referendum left only four spare voting machines available countywide. “Lines were a little longer due to that … we didn’t have a big issue until probably 3 or 4 [p.m.] and it stayed that way until 7,” she said.”
Was she drunk that day or what? To say lines were a “little longer” is ludicrous. Ask anyone who stood in the referendum line at any time of the day. It was ridiculous and caused MANY folks to not vote at all. Worst coordination I’ve ever seen in all my years of voting.
Hanks is a cant person.
Nothing to see here.
The Catslysts are CAN and they DO.
Elliot will be the new commissioner and rule Baldwin like JimmieFaulkner once did In they 1960’s and 1970’s
Maybe they will namw a campus after Elliott.
I heard that fairhope has more tards and winder lickers than they do gays. Sad state it is the germ of the eastern shore. Hows that new poo plant ripp? Traffic is getting worse daily and we are stuck with a catalyst ciuncil oh my.
What is a winder liker
Stupid folk.
Fairhopers
I am from Fairhope. So that is why I like to spit shine my bay windows. That have this spicy metallic taste
Which ones of the Catalyst Council members have made the decision to allow Ms. Hudson, the scary fingernail woman, to live at the Pavilion at the Fairhoper’s Park? I understand that numerous complaints have been lodged but that the police department has been told to ‘leave her alone’ because several of the council members neither live near there or have children who might be frightened by her. My guess would be that Robinson and Conyers would want to protect the city from lawsuits and that the bumble bees would let her stay so that they could feel self-important. I know that Chief Petties was not big on state laws that funnel down, but we have a more progressive Chief now so I hope that she will do the right thing for the City and not just blindly do what random Council members demand. This is not a good situation with that crazy woman living on the pavilion, cooking and watching television (does she have an account with the utility corp or has Burrell granted her a generator from the City?)
That lady with the fingernails is harmless. She is pretty smart but scared of dogs.
Over the years we have had several eccentric people: the beer drinker who lived in the gulley, the greasy haired man who cussed under his breath, and the lady who passed out religious tract booklets in the pier. All were harmless
Several people who have fed her and tried to help her have given media interviews stating that ‘Missy is not harmless’ and that they made a big mistake when then began feeing her. She is clearly not very nice because she monopolizes the kids’ park. Even if you think that she is harmless, she is stealing city resources and frightening taxpayers. She was such an embarrassment at the Fairhope Film Festival. The police department should obey Alabama laws. If the City Council wants to keep her, they need to take her home or else indemnify the City against lawsuits that will definitely be filed if they don’t get her booted from public areas. Again, they are so welcome to take her to their own homes within the city. Additionally, are you aware of the $100 Million dollar lawsuit ‘Missy’ filed when she was living in her DIP storage unit? This woman is a legal liability in too many ways to count. Jack can take her home if he wants her.
Sounds like “Missy” may be a liability surprised city officials are looking the other way.
This town has been overrun with DR Horton. The council is owned by Horton. The Council has sold us out to the outsiders. We must change them while a little of our town still exists
I can only tell folks why I voted no:
A. There’s absolutely no need to change a successful method of governance because of recent issues with elected personnel. Fairhope has been here longer than any of us and will continue beyond our lifetimes, so making fundamental changes should be well thought out, clearly communicated, and follow state statutes. It is my opinion that this referendum failed on all three points.
B. As a non-native citizen, I can speak from experience on a topic that generational elites cannot: living in an area with a City Manager. Like any Human Resources decision, errors can be made. To fire a poor performing City Manager takes a near herculean effort that inevitably involves the legal system and/or the criminal justice system. So, on top of the added expense of a City executive with pay and other benefits that will easily surpass $100,000.00 per year, one whom citizens cannot vote out of office, we citizens are not guaranteed performance will improve yet we are guaranteed a minimum of a six-figure expense with even more being potentially required.
C. I’ve read a great deal of information regarding special interests in the Ripp Report. One thing that i haven’t seen mentioned is the creation of new special interests via districting. This is as commonplace as politics itself. Senators Jones and Shelby advocate on the national level for all Alabamians. Rep. Faust represents Fairhope at the state level. By creating districts, Fairhope would be divided. City Council members would be required to represent their district of Fairhope and not all of Fairhope. I, as a citizen of Fairhope want all five members of the City Council to represent the city’s best interest, not just their district. District priorities are the bell cow of every re-election campaign and, in my opinion, will result in our city growing more divided due to an inability to satisfy all citizens regarding the make-up of their district.
These are the three primary reasons I voted no, and they do not fit the Mayor’s or Ripp Report’s narrative, especially that of proverbial hired people and uninformed outsiders attempting to destroy this city. This is little more than a City HR-type issue and we the voters are the one’s doing the hiring. We elected a Mayor and Council that do not fit and seemingly cannot co-exist. I look forward to the next election to see how we voters decide the future of Fairhope, my adopted home.
I respect your opinion however the present form of government does NOT fit your outline, that is the problem. Fairhope is not a sleepy village on the bay with a population of 5000. Currently the city has a population of 18,000 and another 18,000 living in Fairhope outside city limits.Please remember the apartments, the council went AGAINST the majority.
That would be 18,001 if you count Missy